Staten Island Expressway bus lane open to HOV starting Monday

Advance file photo Vehicles with two or more passengers can now use the Staten Island Expressway bus-only lane, but only New Jersey-bound, and only between 3 and 7 p.m. on weekdays.

The Staten Island Expressway's west-bound bus-only lane will open to vehicles with two or more occupants beginning Monday afternoon, as part of a traffic mitigation effort during the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge construction project.

But, there's a catch:

The lane will only be open to HOV vehicles between the hours of 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and only on the New Jersey-bound side.

Also, cars entering the new HOV lane at the toll plaza must stay in it until the lane exit at Exit 12, Slosson Avenue. Drivers who use the HOV lane will not be able to exit at Clove Road.

Anyone who exits the lane at any point other than the Slosson Avenue exit can be ticketed, as can drivers who use the lane without at least one other passenger.

The HOV lane is a temporary measure to help cut back on travel times for commuters stuck in construction traffic on the other side of the bridge. The new rules will be spelled out on signs going up over the weekend, and the HOV allowance will cease when the bridge construction is completed in September.